Things I Missed In January

I know, I know, it's mid-April and there are signs of spring everywhere. Sunny days, blue skies, buds on trees, and tulips making there way through the cold earth. It is all very, very exciting. However, I can't get over this nagging feeling that I have missed so many blogging opportunities lately, and so I am attempting to catch-up. And so, without further adieu, I give you January:

The year started out with a bang at our annual New Years Eve party, hosted by the Eyres. I love this party. The hustle and bustle is over. I am relaxed. Plus, there is always a lot of good food - a lot! And this year it was our final complete family gathering before Aaron headed back to Misery, I mean Missouri. Gosh, I just can't seem to get that one right! Anyway, Monica brought a dance game for the Wii, which provided some fabulous entertainment, and a good workout to boot.

There was the traditional puzzle table. Don't tell my family, but I actually hate this tradition. Not that I don't enjoy putting together a good puzzle every now and then, but only a few people can actually participate, leaving the rest of us as spectators. Plus, those putting the puzzle together become very boring.

Grandmom came prepared with some entertainment for the kids - board games and a snowball fight with wadded up balls of paper. The kids thought it was great, plus there were prizes involved. Way to go Grandmom! She's a good one to have around.

Oh, by the way, did you know that my Dad had kidney cancer over the holidays? Well, he probably had it way before the holidays, but he found out about, had his kidney out, and became a cancer survivor over the holidays. We are all very grateful that some mysterious stomach pains sent him to the ER. We are especially grateful that a minor surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital took care of everything. But, we are still praying and crossing our fingers that there will be no re-occurrence.

And just like that, the clock struck midnight, Luke got his first ever New Year's kiss, and the party was over.

So, that is how January began, and here are a few things that followed:

We met up with most of my family to go sledding on New Year's Day.

I think Brian had more fun than any of the kids. Can you see Trent in the above picture? He's there, believe it or not. Poor kid couldn't see a thing and soon decided that it was a lot funner to slide down the hill on his bum.

Ashlyn had fun for about the first 10 minutes and then got plowed by another sledder. She hit her head pretty hard and spent the rest of the time sipping hot chocolate and asking to go home. She refused to do any more sledding and I worried that she would be out for the season. Luckily, we went again about a week later and she had a blast.

It was bitter cold. The hot chocolate helped...a little. But, our outing lasted less than an hour and then we all went back to the warmth of our houses.

I was lucky enough to have Ben and Maggie spend a night at our home before they left the state. They spent the following day with us while Monica was at guard. It was so much fun spending time with them. They are equally adorable.

Speaking of adorable...

I know I've showed this picture before, but gosh he's cute.

On a day when all the snow had melted and the sun was actually shining, Ashlyn and Trent were able to try out their new bikes that Santa brought.

Poor Trent could barely reach the foot pedals. Luckily, he has grown a little since then and has had plenty of opportunities to ride his bike lately. He can now reach those pedals just fine.

And one more photo of this kid, because he really is just too cute.

And that pretty much takes care of January. Up next, February.